September 2010 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Money Saving Tips
I know the holidays are among us and ofcourse we are all spending lots of money on gifts and what not but I was thinking about this last night, what is something you do to save money (small or big) around your household?
Ex: buying generic brand medicine or bringing your lunch to work everyday.
I'm thinking of this because me and H are going to try to buy a house next year and we really need to start saving money and I am having the hardest time!
Any money saving tip(s) are greatly appreciated!
Baby Jaxon born 8/18/2012 @ 9:53am, 7lb 2oz!! At 37 weeks 5 days due to Pre-E via C-section.
Re: Money Saving Tips
We're still playing catch up from the period of time when everything went towards the wedding. We buy generic for a lot of food/household items. Buy when things are on sale. stay home a lot more often. Take lunches to work. Cut coupons.
We're at the bare minimum that we are willing to be for things like cable, etc. But i know some people who cut cable out completely when trying to save each month. I would also recommend re-assessing your cell plan. Make sure you're using close to the minutes you are paying for, otherwise cut down the plan.
I've been shopping at the Dollar Tree
We buy sponges, garbage bags, zip loc bags, and other household things there.
I can't buy food there because I'm afraid that its bad or expired and DH would never eat it. I have however bought some baking items (almond & lemon extrac) and spices there.
Other than that I've been bringing lunch in to work, limiting Starbucks intake to Fri and Sat, going out for drinks during Happy Hour and price comparison shopping to get the best deals.
I just shaved $70 a month off of our cell phone plan by making sure we weren't carrying anything additional and changing our plan to reflect minutes we were actually using. I also shaved $55 off cable by calling and seeing what they could do for me.
Have you combined your car insurance? That will save you $$.
When we were saving to buy a house and then saving for the wedding, we brought lunch to work, hosted/attended house parties and potlucks rather than going to the bar or out to eat, no going to the movies, and no unnecessary purchases (clothes, etc).
1. Plan meals, pack a lunch, shop the sales.
2. Baked goods for coworkers gifts.
3. Only fill the dishwasher detergent spot half full, if it cleans the dishes with half the soap why put in more? Same with laundry soap.
4. Create a realistic budget and stick to it.
We changed our cell phone plan and DH actually got rid of his BB to cut down on the cell bill. He was tired of paying the extra $30/month for having a smart phone so he went back to the basic.We also have a bundle deal with internet/phone/tv so that helps save money too.
When grocery shopping, I TRY to buy only sale items, the 10/10 type things or store brand instead of name brand. Definitely use coupons and price compare.
With the laundry, instead of using dryer sheets or fabric softener, use vinegar. It doesn't make your clothes smell bad or anything. Just pour it in where the fabric softener would go (if you have that option) and it's way cheaper than the dryer sheets or if you use dryer sheets then either use it more than once (just twice) or tear it in half and use only half per load.
GL!
starbucks (or any purchased) coffee is never allowed. make your own. or stop drinking it all together.
combine car insurance. this saved us HUNDREDS. (i sound like the commercial)
generic generic generic.
make a shopping list. go through things you already have at home. lots of frozen chicken? think of ways to incorporate that into all of your dinners so you dont have to buy different meats. also, i know this isnt so healthy, but pasta is CHEAP. we eat pasta and rice like 4 times a week, if not more...
make a monthly budget calendar. i print out each month. write when bills are due on it. who gets paid when. it really helps you see how much money you will have left over each week (or two weeks). then you can decide "i want to buy something" or "this is how much we can put into our savings account"
always bring a lunch. it might make your grocery bill a little higher each week (by like $14), but it will save you money.
dont drink soda. drink water.
on the water kick...if you buy bottled water--STOP! its bad for the environment AND it is pricey! buy a reusable water bottle (i love my HUGE sigg) and refill it each day.
cancel your internet and cable and phone. you dont need it. im telling you. ESPECIALLY if you have a smart phone. yes, it sucked at first not having internet. but you then actually communicate with your significant other! you watch movies, not junk. you play games. you read.
call your gas company and ask how they suggest you save money while still keeping your house moderately warm.
dont go shopping for yourself. i know this is hard. i havent gone shopping for myself since we moved to CA in 08 with a couple of little exceptions (needed new pants that zipped for example...)
compare compare compare! is one grocery store cheaper than another? does one bank reiumburse you for atm fees? is one gym 2 miles out of your way but $50 less a month? do your research!
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we do a LOT of what is mentioned above, although we are somewhat picky eaters, so generic stuff doesn't usually work for us... We combined a lot of stuff like insurance a LONG time ago. We don't have cable or internet. (though hopefully the internet thing will be changed fairly soon, I am sick of WIFI.
We also save our change. A couple years ago at Christmas I got H a really nice sorter, so we put all of our change in that and roll it. You wouldn't beleive how much you accumulate in a month or so. We have almost $100 and I KNOW we emptied it around wedding time, so that is in 3 months time or so.
I also waitress, so at the end of the night I switch my tips out for bigger bills and automatically set aside any leftover 1's I have and put it away. That's like $10+ a week right there.
Any check I get, I take the change and ones and put it in the Christmas/wedding/Fun Fund instead of other accounts, this works the same way as above, you never even notice it's gone.
We also cut coupons which annoys H b/c of the time it takes, but we sometimes save up to $10 a grocery bill just doing that.
If you don't already keep a budget, write down everything you spend for one month. Honestly every last cent so that you can see where your money is going.
Pay yourself first. Make it a priority to put money in savings and figure out realistically how much you can afford to save each month. When you get paid put the amount you decided on in savings right away. When DH and I were living in the city we were living off his income and banking 90% of mine.
Meal plan for each week and stick to it. We usually plan 3 maybe 4 meals and then take the leftovers for lunch and dinner.
Shop around for big purchases and be aware of what you spend on what at grocery stores. We have two stores in town and are constantly comparing.
If you don't want to spend the money don't. There isn't a rule that you must by your spouse and entire family Christmas gifts. We are not buying anything for anyone (except for our 9.10 exchange) and told our families not to get us anything as well.
If you have to heat your house/apt keep the temperature lower and snuggle, wear sweatshirts, and keep warm blankets handy. Cover windows if they are old and drafty (saves a ton) and turn down the heat when you are gone for extended periods of time.
Cut your cable and minimize other plans. Check every month that what ever bills you are paying are correct (our internet bill charge was $25 more than it should have been this month).
If you have credit card debt call the companies and ask them to lower your interest rates.
And to repeat Shauni: generic, generic, generic, no soda, no bottled water, and no buying coffee.
I put x dollars away from each paycheck. Actually, I have it set up on auto withdrawal from my account so I can never 'forget' to put the money in savings. It's just like another bill getting paid, except the money is still mine. Also, if you have a 401k and aren't already contributing to it, doooeeeet....some 401k's will let you take out a loan against your retirement savings for a down payment on a house...not ideal, but may work for your situation.
If you don't already have a timed thermostat, get one. It turns the heat/ac on when we get up/are home, and off when we sleep/are gone and we don't have to remember to play around with it. I found it helps even more in the summertime with the A/C. Point is, you're not wasting electric/energy when you're not home/don't need it.
Ditto the saving change. We have a fish bowl that we fill up and every few months I roll it up and put it in savings. Adds up quick.
We also work on our own cars, and do our own renovations, but DH is super handy and loves doing stuff like this and I was a tomboy so my dad taught me a lot. DH started remodeling the basement this week to give us more living space. Point is, it would cost a fortune to do all we do if we had to pay someone else for it. If you have the skills, all it costs you is materials and your time. And, a lot of stuff you can learn just by looking on the internet.
OMG yall have awesome advice! And way more self control than I do. I seriously look at my bank account and all I see is fast food after fast food transactions. Thats my biggest expense. I'm going to write down everything yall said and go thru it with H tonight. The cell phone plan is really something I need to get in control of, ours together is like 180. We both have smart phones with lots of extra add ons and the worst part of that is that we never use the internet on our phones and I rarely text and H rarely texts. So I need to call our provider. Deb- I never thought about going to the dollar store for stuff like you said. Thats a good idea.
Me and H are trying to have 5K saved by September 2011 but we would need to save like 550 a month for that and thats going to be really hard for us so we need to really change our spending habits. Thank you far yalls advice, I love it!
These are all fabulous ideas ladies!!
Here are a few more:
Sell your old clothes. We have a Platos Closet near me and I sold two big bags of clothes and got over $100. I had a lot of name brand clothes that I either didnt wear anymore or they didnt fit, so I went and sold them. I gained a lot of space in the closet and had money in my savings!
Check for things like cold air coming in under exterior doors. We put a rug or something similar up against the bottom of the door so the air doesnt creep in.
Whenever DH or I travel we take the travel size soaps/shampoos, etc... from hotels. I use them all the time at home. If you are staying multiple days they usually bring you new shampoo,etc... each day, so stock up!
Coupons, coupons, coupons!
Dont be shy about asking for a discount! Students, military, police, firefighters, teachers, etc... (NY & Co offers a military discount, as well as Aeropostale, so if you must shop you get atleast 10% off)
Sign up for restaurant/store website/emails. They will send you coupons. We signed up for a Warrior Card for free at PF Changs and this month you get 10% off your bill. We were ordering food for a birthday party for MIL and ended up saving $10 just for having this free card!
This could be a shock for some too but if you get your nails done (mani and pedi) ; save the money and do it yourself.
Same thing with hair coloring - although I would be on the fence if your hair is extremely difficult to do on your own or color on your own.
Ebay for clothes & shoes - if you're open to buying either gently used items or new but no tags, Ebay can become your friend. I've bought a few pairs of Express pants off there for work, paid $10 for a $70 pair, not bad and they were hardly worn when I got them.
Like Deb - I also go to Dollar Tree or the 99 Cent Store for small household stuff & some grocery items (I check expiration dates) - I have found that some of the food items are okay, but other than that they are fully loaded with preservatives, hfcs, and other bad stuff for you.
IUI #1 10/12/11 (Bravelle + HCG + Prometrium & acupuncture) = 10/26 BFP! Beta #1=250, Beta #2= 615. 1st u/s 11/8.
A lot of my money saving is based around food (go figure!). I used to use store coupons but we started doing our grocery shopping at Walmart now because its closer. So we save on gas money. Any canned good I buy is generic. I couldn't believe that at the grocery store Bush's kidney beans are $1.39 but the Great Value ones in Walmart are $0.60.
I plan out meals and then a grocery list of only the things we need and thats all we buy. I'll buy meats on sale in bulk and stock the fridge. One of the grocery stores near me will have ground beef for less than $2 a lb. sometimes.
If I buy anything online, I check retailmenot.com first for coupons.
Grocery and fun money is in cash only. Once the money is gone I can't take out more. I gave up my Dunkin Donuts addiction and now drink the coffee that the office buys. I just spend about $4 a month on my fancy creamer I can't give up.
It was cheaper for us to get a triple play package from Comcast that do anything individually or with other companies. And we do use each part so I think its worth it. We don't have smart phones and our cell plans are basic.
I never take money out of a bank other than my own so I don't have to pay fees. I have Bank of America and the save the change program so extra changes goes to my savings account immediately. Using a company like ING for a savings account can also be helpful to earn more interest than you would in a regular bank savings account.
I buy pretty generic cleaning supplies, but the one big money saver is the Libman Freedom mop. We used to have a Swiffer and I liked it, but those stupid cleaning pads are expensive! The Freedom mop has a washable cleaning pad that lasts for 30-some uses and replacement ones are $5.
Budget billing for utilities if possible (and if it will actually save you money).
Cut back or cut out mani/pedi's and eyebrow waxing.
We rarely ever go out to dinner. You could get coupons on restaurant.com to save money though.
And back to food (of course!), I'll occasionally go through the pantry and create meals with only the things we have on hand. If I have a recipe where it calls for an ingredient we don't use all of the time (half and half is a big one) I'll make sure to find another recipe that uses it so I'm not throwing it out.
Netflix is cheaper than the movies. I have the $9 a month subscription.
ETA: Mint.com is also a great way to see what you're spending if you can discipline yourself enough to use it. Or a Quicken type software.
And if you have any credit cards with cash rewards, cash them in and put them towards the balance or into your savings account. On one of my cards I forgot all about the rewards and remembered to cash them in like 6 years later. I got $300 back.
Married / The Cookaholic Wife
Oh, 2 more I thought of.
If you don't use all of the rooms in your house, close the vents and keep the door shut. It will force the heat throughout the rest of the house and you'll be able to keep the temperature lower.
Its easy to make your own laundry detergent. I know I've read the recipe for it on the Green Living board a ton of times.
Married / The Cookaholic Wife
I'm late on this and not sure I have much to add, but:
-we buy mostly generic/store brand, and buy as many groceries as possible at Trader Joe's. I comparison shop for some things between Target and Giant.
-we cut WAY down on Starbucks by getting a Tassimo. It's still more expensive than just plain coffee, but much cheaper than coffee house drinks
-we rarely eat out, and never go to the movies. Seriously, we haven't been to a movie in at least two years, and in the two years before that we saw only two or three. Back when I did go to movies, I snuck in my own snacks
-the only beverages in our house are water and occasionally wine
-we pack our lunches, and plan our meals. We don't buy snacks, which saves money AND keeps us healthier
-we only rarely 'go out' with friends, and tend to have at-home movie/Wii nights where people bring homemade food, at various friends' houses. I think it's a lot more fun, and it saves a lot.
-I commute, so we only have one car. For $39 a month I can ride the subway and save on car payments, extra insurance, and gas.
-ditto checking your cell plan, though mine is still pretty expensive. There's no options for less minutes that still have the option for unlimited texting. I know that texting is a 'luxury', but for us it's necessary.
I think it's about sitting down and setting priorities. If you can live without cable, DVR, home phone, internet, texting, internet on your cell, or something similar, cut it out. It's a huge savings. I know people who have gotten really good savings by calling up their cable company and asking how they can get a cheaper plan,even if it's not advertised - if you make it clear that you're going to cut out cable completely if you can't work out something cheaper, then they'll often work with you.
I use vinegar, baking soda and Dr. Bronner's soap for almost all of my cleaning. There isn't much that these three can't clean and they're cheap. Dr. Bronner's is Castile soap so you can dilute it a TON and it still works.
If you itemize deductions on your taxes, it's beneficial to donate household items to Goodwill or a similar place instead of throwing them away. Last year I wrote off a lot of stuff and ended up getting a pretty significant amount back in my refund.
Wrap your Christmas gifts in newspapers or other recycled packaging paper. You can dress them up with colorful ribbons, etc. Wrapping paper is a big waste.
Replace all of your light bulbs with CFLs as they burn out. They last forever and really will make an impact on your electric bill.
Get a timer for your porch light. We have one that turns our light on at 6pm - right as we're getting home - so it doesn't have to stay on all day.
Carpool if/when you can. Gas is frickin' expensive.
Unplug things when you're not using them. Electronics still pull a small amount of power even when they're off - like the clock on the microwave, the red "off" light on the Playstation, etc. When our stuff isn't being used, it's on a power strip and we flip the power strip off.
I thought of a couple more. These are still along the eco-friendly lines, but really do save money over time.
Insulate your water heater. Especially if it's outside. This way you can turn down the thermostat on it and not expend as much energy to keep it heated.
Invest in a Diva cup. Best thing EVER. I paid $20 for mine and now I don't have to spend $1000000000 a month for tampons. Plus it just works better than a stupid tampon.
Don't flush the toilet every single time you pee. A lot of people think this one is gross, but seriously - flushing 1 out of every 2 times you pee isn't *that* bad, and you've just halved the amount of water you're using. (Our water bill is typically only $15 every 3 months.)